"Dig the pit to a depth of 50 centimeters, three to four seedlings put down, the northwest wind in this area is more powerful, when planting the shuttle shuttle to the southeast direction of a little deviation, so that in the early stage of growth, especially when the wind blows, the seedlings are less harmful, which is conducive to the survival and growth of the shuttle. During the May Day holiday, Ma Junhe, executive director of Gansu Qingsuo Public Welfare Development Center, carefully explained to Tencent volunteers what to pay attention to when planting Suosuo in Changning Sifangdun, Minqin County.
Ma Junhe instructed volunteers to plant Suosuo photo by Wang Xili
Under his command, the volunteers wielded shovels to open holes, cultivated sand cofferdams, leveled and stepped on the ground, and carried water for irrigation, every step was meticulous, and rows of Saxony seedlings continued to extend to the hinterland of the desert, and patches of green hope took root and sprouted in spring.
Yang Qiuxiong, a Tencent volunteer who is planting the sand plant at the site, said: "This is the 11th year that Tencent volunteers have participated in the desertification control and tree planting activities, and I come every year to experience the spirit of the local people who have persisted in fighting against the wind and sand for many years, and on the other hand, we want to bring more people to participate in desert control and protect their homes through our practical actions." ”
Spring and autumn are the golden period for sand pressing and planting trees, and it is also the busiest time of the year for Ma Junhe, and volunteers from all over the country often come to the people to press sand and plant trees. In order to speed up the progress of sand control, Ma Junhe simply rolled up the bunk and lived in the sand nest. Since March, Ma Junhe has insisted on 18 years of ditching and laying grass and burying grass squares, and began to plant trees and afforestation in April, planting more than 60,000 acres of shuttle.
Tencent volunteers planted Suosuo in Sifang Pier Photo by Wang Xili
"This spring we plan to plant 5,000 acres of land in Sifangdun, and we have been preparing since last autumn, digging pits on the saline-alkali flats with tractors, and starting to plant them after the temperature rises in spring this year. More and more volunteers from all over the country are participating, with a total of more than 50,000 people. Ma Junhe said.
Surrounded by the Tengger Desert and the Badain Jaran Desert on three sides, Minqin County is at the forefront of desertification prevention and control in the country, and is one of the most serious areas of land desertification in the country.
Ma Junhe was born into a peasant family in Guodong Village, Jiahe Town, Minqin County, close to the Tengger Desert. As a child, he saw the wind and sand devouring crops and houses, and when the wind blew, the yellow sand filled the sky, and the memories of his childhood left a deep imprint on his heart.
In 2006, with the belief that "my hometown must not disappear", Ma Junhe launched the Oasis Action to Save Minqin Volunteers, giving up the affluent life in the city to return to his hometown to start a business, and devote himself full-time to ecological governance. Different from his predecessors, Ma Junhe used the "Internet sand control" to organize and mobilize villagers of appropriate age and social forces to actively participate in the county's ecological and environmental governance, injecting new strength into ecological construction, and attracting more volunteers to devote themselves to public welfare afforestation and covering the Gobi Desert with green.
The square pier is full of greenery Photo by Wang Xili
"'Internet desertification control' not only changes the traditional way of desertification control, it enables every ordinary public to participate in ecological environmental protection more opportunities, more people participate, and the intervention of the Internet also enables the concept of ecological environmental protection to be more deeply rooted in our daily life." Ma Junhe said.
For 18 years, Ma Junhe took root in the desert, and he spent more than 9 months in the forest area every year, building 157 volunteer ecological forests. Today, more than 60,000 acres of desertification saline-alkali land in the Saxon forest is thriving, blocking the wind and fixing sand, more than ten years of efforts have seen results, but also brought green hope.
"The sand plants we planted are in good condition, and the surrounding mobile sand dunes have been fixed by vegetation, which has played a good role in preventing wind and fixing sand, effectively protecting the farmland and villages below. Ma Junhe said happily when he checked the growth of Suosuo.
Ma Junhe inspects the growth of Suosuo Photo by Wang Xili
Suosuo is a forest, and the wind and sand are blocked, but "the sand control does not cure the poor, and the end is empty". To solve desertification, it is necessary to start from the improvement of the livelihood of the local people, so Ma Junhe thought of "industrial sand control", set up the "Suo Suo Farm" online store, registered the "Mr. Shagua" melon trademark, and signed an underwriting agreement with 152 households, authorized 19 online stores, a total of 51.175 million yuan of agricultural products were sold, more than 700 people were employed, and 19.21 million yuan of income was increased for farmers, achieving the goal of win-win economic, social and ecological benefits.
Nowadays, sand pressing and planting shuttles have become an indispensable part of Ma Junhe's life. His perseverance and struggle for more than ten years have not only watered "green hope" in the desert, but also made him reap many honors. "National Green Worker Model", "The 12th China Youth Volunteer Outstanding Individual Award", "Top Ten Public Welfare Figures of the Year" at the 2021 Public Welfare Ceremony, "Green Guardian of the 8th National Mother River Award", "Gansu Good Man", "The 19th Gansu Youth May Fourth Medal", "Wuwei City Model Worker", ...... In the face of the ensuing honors, what has not changed is his simple appearance, as well as his original intention of guarding his homeland and leading the masses to increase their income and get rich.
"Pressing sand and planting Suosuo, protecting the ecological environment of my hometown is my constant feeling, and it is also the cause that I have adhered to in my life. Ma Junhe said that he should use his own practical actions to plant every shuttle and press every grass grid sand barrier, and also hopes that more people will pay attention to and participate in the desertification control work of Minqin, jointly protect our beautiful homeland, and strive to build a beautiful China.
A chronicle of the people's diligence and half of the history of desertification control. Turning the page of the history of Minqin, every page is full of stories of people and desert games. The grass grid was pressed down, and green seedlings grew. From the past "sand in and people retreat" to now "green in and sand out" and "harmony between people and sand", Minqin has performed new wonders on the road of sand control. (Reporter: Wang Xili, Liang Xia)
Source: Oasis Minqin client